


Suspicious Minds

by Aaronlisa



Category: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
Genre: Episode Related, Gen, Implied Relationships, Missing Scene, Season/Series 06
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-03
Updated: 2020-07-03
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:15:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,123
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25051534
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aaronlisa/pseuds/Aaronlisa
Summary: Catherine's not too sure if Lady Heather is as innocent as Gil likes to insist that she is.
Kudos: 1





	Suspicious Minds

**Author's Note:**

> This is set during the events of episode 6x15 "Pirates of the Third Reich." It was originally written for the LJ community CSI50 for set #1, prompt #13 (evidence). This is a rewrite of a shorter fic called "Suspicions" that I'd written and posted back in January 2007. I'd wanted to explore how Catherine's reactions to Lady Heather are vastly different than Gil's.

In the past when Lady Heather had been the suspect, the evidence had exonerated her twice over. However, Catherine Willows has always had her doubts about how innocent the dominatrix truly is. She firmly believes in the old adage that where there's smoke, there's fire. Maybe it's just Heather's profession that has lead to her entanglement into murder cases but Catherine's not too sure. Especially now when Lady Heather is too intimately connected to their current case. 

"You don't like me, do you?" Lady Heather calmly asks. 

It's not the question that she had expected but she sees no harm in answering it. 

"No, I don't," Catherine replies. 

"Is your dislike based on your doubt of my innocence?" Lady Heather calmly asks. 

That's a question that Catherine's not sure how to answer. She's not sure if she likes how the other woman seems to cloud Grissom's senses. Gil is firm that she is innocent. And that Catherine doesn't understand that what Heather Kessler does is more than just indulging in kinky sex for money. She doubts that if she had just randomly met the other woman on her own, outside of work and in a more neutral setting, if they'd be anything close to friends. 

"I have my questions about you happened to become involved in three separate murder investigations,:' Catherine coldly says. 'It seems odd that someone not involved in my line of work would have the misfortune to be involved in one much less three." 

That's the crux of the issue. Catherine's pretty sure that if she had met Heather in a more neutral setting, say at a PTA meeting, that'd she care one way or another about the other woman. It's not as if as if Catherine can really judge Heather for using sex to make money. Once upon a time, Catherine had danced to support herself and her boyfriend at the time. Catherine's well aware of how sex sells and she has no problems with it if the woman is control of her own body and sexuality. She might be more vanilla than Heather but that's hardly her business. It's just there's been one too many times when the evidence has led them to Heather Kessler. 

"Some people believe that a person's fate is tied around their neck and therefore inescapable no matter what they do." 

"Meaning?" Catherine asks. 

"Quite simply that my profession, no matter how legitimate it is, has caused me to be involved in two of your investigations regardless of my involvement in the actual crime." 

"And now?" Catherine asks. 

She does her best to set aside what she's feeling. If there's one thing that Gil and others have taught her is to listen to the evidence and that the story it tells isn't as always cut and dry as she'd like. This isn't _Perry Mason_ where the good guys always catch the crook. 

Lady Heather sighs. For the first time, Catherine can see cracks in the careful facade that the other woman presents for everyone to see. She wonders if Gil has seen beneath that facade. She feels a twinge of unease. Does she want Heather to be guilty because of Gil? It's not as if she has a romantic interest in Gil. He's her boss. But she had always prided the connection that they had shared. One that he seemed to share with her that he didn't share with anyone else. Until Lady Heather came along. 

"What wouldn't you do to avenge your daughter's death? We may not have been close but she was my child. And someone hurt her and then killed her. What would you do to bring the animal who violated your daughter to justice? Don't try to tell me that you'd play it by the book as if your child was just one of a thousand victims for you." 

There's no point in denying it. So she doesn't. 

"Yeah I'd probably stop at nothing. However, you do realize that you could be jeopardizing our investigation with your actions? That we might not be able to use some of the _evidence_ that you bring to us and that it could delay justice." 

"I do," Heather says, her tone firm. 

In that moment, Catherine understand Heather completely in away that goes beyond who they are. It's a more primal understand between mothers. That understanding is far more damaging than anything else. She has to try to make Heather see reason, even if she knows that Heather probably won't. 

"Then I want you to go home and let us do our work," Catherine says. "Trust in Gil if you won't trust in the rest of us." 

"I won't make you any false promises Catherine," Heather replies. 

"A clever lawyer could argue that you're attempting to cover up your own involvement in the crime and ruin any chance of justice for your daughter." 

Heather laughs. It's dark and bleak sound, lacking any mirth. 

"And you and I both know that anyone who argues that would be very wrong." 

"Perhaps but it could still become a case of tampering with evidence. And we need that evidence to bring your daughter's killer to justice, If a judge were to agree with a lawyer that you've tampered with the evidence, the person who violated and murdered your daughter would escape justice. 

The words sound forced even to Catherine's own ears. But she has to try. She might not like Heather but she doesn't want to see her going down a certain path where there is no denying her guilt. 

"Go home," Catherine says. "Let us do our work." 

The two women look at one another. Their distaste for one another temporarily set aside. Catherine knows that Heather won't let this go, that she won't go home and sit by the phone and wait for Gil or Catherine to call her with the result of their work. But they do reach a silent agreement, one that Catherine can accept. Heather will continue to do what she can but she'll do her best to not hamper their investigation. Even as Heather stands up, Catherine worries about what will happen if Heather finds the person who did this first. She knows full well what she'd do if she were in Heather's position. 

"Alright Catherine, I will go home," Heather says. "I'll leave it to the _professionals_ to do their work." 

Her tone of voice is condescending and she sounds like almost every other angry parent that's been through those doors, upset that they aren't solving the case faster Catherine sighs as she escorts Heather out of the lab. She knows that she doesn't have much time before Heather goes rogue again. She just hopes that she has enough time. 

((END))


End file.
